Society Office Bearers. Dates to remember. PO Box 199 Earlville QLD 4870 Newsletter No. 103 September 2010

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1 Society for Growing Australian Plants (Queensland Region Inc) Cairns Branch PO Box 199 Earlville QLD 4870 Newsletter No. 103 September 2010 Society Office Bearers Chairperson Vice Chairperson Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor Library Tony Roberts Mary Gandini David Warmington Robert Jago Tony Roberts David Warmington For loan of publications, contact David during business hours on Membership Subscriptions- Qld Region- Renewal $30.00, New Members $35, each additional member of household $2.00 Student - Renewal $20 New Members $25.00, Cairns Branch Fees - $10.00 Full Year Dates to remember Cairns Branch Meetings and Excursions third Saturday of each month. Website - NEXT MEETING AND EXCURSION: 18 September Upper Harvey Creek. 16 October - Barron Falls Boardwalk, Kuranda. Tablelands Branch Meetings on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the QCWA hall, Tolga. Excursions on the Sunday following the meeting. Website - NEXT MEETING AND EXCURSION: 26 September Mt Lewis (weather dependent). Any queries please contact Chris Jaminon or hjaminon@bigpond.com Townsville Branch - Meets on the second Wednesday of the month, February to November, in Annandale Community Centre at 8pm. Excursions the Sunday following the meeting. Website - An queries please contact John Elliot: jw-elliott@aapt.net.au. Crystal Ball November Ellie Point December Botanic Gardens October Meet at the Barron Falls Lookout Carpark (Kuranda) at 12 noon on Saturday 16 October. If you re unsure of directions, see the map on the following page.

2 October Excursion - Barron Falls Lookout Carpark. How to get there. Turn off the highway here Stop for an ice cream here Meet here at noon News flashes Banks and Solander garden at the Flecker Botanic Gardens. SGAP hope to collect plants for this garden from the area around Cape Grafton visited by Banks and Solander. David Warmington has sought the assistance of the Yarrabah Council in organising this, and is currently awaiting a reply concerning a visit to the Yarrabah DOGIT area. It is hoped that a reconnaissance trip will be organised later this year, with a more formal collecting trip following on from this. Sandy Lloyd is now curator of the Cooktown Botanic Gardens. Stuart Worboys, as part of his work with the Australian Tropical Herbarium, is currently running a series of plant identification workshops. The aim of these workshops is to teach the skills needed for rainforest plant identification, and to familiarise people with the new sixth edition of the CSIRO Key to Rainforest Plants. More details can be obtained from Stuart, or online at alumni.jcu.edu.au/sslpage.aspx?pid=362. Following on from our annual working bee at the Cooktown Botanic Gardens in June, Pauline and Don received a letter from the Cook Shire CEO, reproduced on the following page. 2

3 PLANT OF THE MONTH Melaleuca fluviatilis Barlow Common Name: River Tea Tree Etymology: The species epithet is derived from the Latin word fluviatilis, which means pertaining to rivers Melaleuca fluviatilis is an attractive tree to 30 metres tall with a stem to 90 centimetres diameter at breast height; bark papery; foliage with a conspicuous weeping habit, new growth silver-grey becoming greyish green with age. Leaves mm. long, 5-19 mm. wide, both surfaces hairy when young, becoming glabrous with age; Inflorescence a spike (bottlebrush) of 8-18 well-spaced triads, spike up to 40 mm. dia. & to 100 mm. long, stamens 3-9 per bundle, mm. long, green, cream, white or yellow. 3

4 west of Dimbulah but extends east to Mareeba. Notes: This large fast growing tree is suitable for use in amenity plantings in suitable soils in situations where its size and large spreading surface roots will not cause problems. An avenue of this species can be viewed at the northern end of Oliva Street, Palm Cove. Melaleuca fluviatilis is often confused with Melaleuca argentea, which has persistent hairy silvery foliage and shorter stamens. References: Craven, L.A. & Barlow, B.A.; New Combinations in Melaleuca (Myrtaceae); Novon 7: (1997). R.L. Jago Distribution: Endemic to Queensland from Cape York Peninsular south to Gladstone west to Croydon & Forest Den National Park near Torrens Creek and Biloela, usually in riparian situations. Common along streams to the August trip report Our August excursion took us to Redden Island in the Barron Delta, a low sandy isle made up of and mangrove muds, located at the far southern end of Cinderella Street, Machans Beach, the island is covered by woodland, and has been set aside as a reserve by the Cairns Port Authority. About eight of us partook of lunch before heading into the reserve four our walk, including Bob Jago, Barbara Collins, Mary Gandini, Pauline and Don Lawie, and David Warmington. We were also fortunate to be joined by David Slatyer, a Machans Beach local and member of Friends of Redden Island. We were briefly distracted on this walk by a happy successful fisherman who was hefting a huge barramundi, well over a metre in length. We wished him well and proceeded onwards. Near the entrance we noted plantings which unfortunately included a number of species not endemic to the island (although they were Wet Tropics endemics). We followed a path that took us across the island to the Barron River, then up the middle through Corymbia tessellaris woodland. Keen-eyed Mary was the first to spot orchids a mass of flowering golden orchids Dendrobium discolor in the fork of a Corymbia tessellaris. Further on, we came across a patch of Melaleuca leucadendra-dominated woodland was where we were able to see dozens of ant plants and teatree orchids (Dendrobium foelschei) close up (see photo). Later, we wandered off track to poke around some mangroves (the tide was out), and were able to see dozens of leafless, spider-like Chiloschista phyllorhiza clinging to the rough bark of the mangroves with their photosynthetic roots. 4

5 Unfortunately none were in flower at the time of our visit. On the other side of the mangroves we found ourselves in a small area of littoral rainforest. Whilst wandering through here we were able to add a few species Bob had not previously recorded for the island. Bob s list is attached to the end of this newsletter, with new species underlined. Next month s trip is to upper Harvey Creek. Don and Pauline Lawie have arranged access to a property on the northern banks of the creek. Lying on the footslopes of Queensland s second highest mountain and in one of Australia s wettest locality, this promises to be a diverse and beautiful patch of rainforest. Redden Island Species List (R.L. Jago) Species found on this trip, but not previously recorded, are underlined. Adiantaceae Cheilanthes tenuifolia Polypodiaceae Drynaria rigidula Drynaria sparsisora Platycerium hillii Cycadaceae Cycas media subsp. banksii FERNS & ALLIES Rock Fern Basket Fern GYMNOSPERMS Northern Elkhorn Fern Cycad Palm FLOWERING PLANTS- DICOTYLEDONS Aizoaceae Sesuvium portulacastrum Anacardiaceae Buchanania arborescens Euroschinus falcatus var. falcatus Pleiogynium timorense Semecarpus australiensis Annonaceae Polyalthia nitidissima Apocynaceae Alyxia spicata Alstonia muelleriana *Catharanthus roseus Cynanchum carnosum Dischidia nummularia Gymnanthera oblonga Ichnocarpus frutescens Secamone elliptica Tabernaemontana orientalis Araliaceae Polyscias elegans Asteraceae Sea Purslane Blush Cudgerie or Pink Poplar Burdekin Plum Canary Beech Chain Fruit Hard Milkwood Periwinkle Button Orchid Harpoon Bud Corky Milk Vine Eastern Gondola Bush Celerywood *Emilia sonchifolia Emilia Epaltes australis *Praxelis clematidea Praxelis Pterocaulon sphacelatum * Sphagneticola trilobata Singapore Daisy *Tridax procumbens Tridax Daisy Burseraceae Canarium australianum var. australianum Caesalpiniaceae Caesalpinia bonduc *Cassia fistula Cynometra iripa Capparaceae Capparis lucida Celastraceae Elaeodendron melanocarpum Maytenus fasciculiflora Cleomaceae *Cleome aculeata Chenopodiaceae Suaeda australis Combretaceae Lumnitzera racemosa Terminalia arenicola Terminalia muelleri Convolvulaceae Evolvulus alsinoides Ipomoea pes-caprae Merremia dissecta *Merremia quinquefolia Cucurbitaceae Diplocyclos palmatus Ebenaceae Diospyros compacta Euphorbiaceae Antidesma bunius Mallotus philippensis Microstachys chamaela Fabaceae Dalbergia candenatensis Derris trifoliata Millettia pinnata Vigna marina Zornia dyctiocarpa var. filifolia Nicker Nit Scrub Turpentine Wrinkle Pod Mangrove Coastal Caper Black Olive Plum White Flowered Black Mangrove Beach Almond Little Sea Almond Tropical speedwell Goat's Foot Morning Glory Australian Ebony Red Kamala Dalbergia Coastal Derris Pongamia Dune Bean 5

6 Flacourtiaceae Scolopia braunii Lamiaceae Anisomeles malabarica Clerodendrum inerme Clerodendrum longiflorum *Hyptis suaveolens Premna serratifolia Lauraceae Cassytha filiformis Lecythidaceae Planchonia careya Loranthaceae Amyema conspicuum Lythraceae Sonneratia alba Malvaceae Hibiscus meraukensis Hibiscus tiliaceus Thespesia populnea Meliaceae Aglaia elaeagnoidea Melia azedarach Xylocarpus granatum Xylocarpus moluccensis Memecylaceae Memecylon pauciflorum Menispermaceae Stephania japonica Mimosaceae Acacia crassicarpa Acacia flavescens Acacia leptocarpa Acacia mangium Acacia oraria Acacia polystachya Moraceae Ficus opposita Myrsinaceae Aegiceris corniculatum Myrtaceae Corymbia clarksoniana Corymbia tessellaris Eugenia reinwardtiana Lithomyrtus obtusa Melaleuca dealbata Melaleuca leucadendra Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa Cultivated Oleaceae Flintwood Hyptis Dodder laurel Cocky Apple Pornupan Mangrove Cottonwood Pacific Rosewood Coastal Boodyarra White Cedar Cannonball Mangrove Cedar Mangrove Brown Wattle Red Wattle Swamp Wattle Coastal Wattle Ellis Beach Wattle Sandpaper Fig River Mangrove Clarkson's Bloodwood Moreton Bay Ash Beach Cherry Beach Myrtle Red Tea Tree Tea Tree Finger Cherry Syzygium forte subsp. forte Chionanthus ramiflora Northern Olive Jasminum elongatum Native jasmin Jasminum simplicifolium subsp australiense Native Jasmin Opiliaceae Cansjera leptostachya Passifloraceae *Passiflora foetida Phyllanthaceae Stinking Passion Fruit Breynia cernua Fart Tree Flueggea virosa subsp. melanthesoides White Currant Glochidion benthamianum Bentham's Buttonwood Glochidion harveyanum var. harveyanum Harvey's Buttonwood Phyllanthus virgatus Polygalaceae *Polygala paniculata Portulacaceae *Portulaca pilosa subsp pilosa Proteaceae Persoonia falcata Putranjivaceae Drypetes deplanchei Rhamnaceae Alphitonia excelsa Colubrina asiatica var. asiatica Rhamnella vitiensis Rhizophoraceae Bruguiera gymnorhiza Rhizophora stylosa Rubiaceae Coastal Pigweed Northern Geebung Grey Boxwood Red Ash Serpent Vine Orange Mangrove Stilt Mangrove Aidia racemosa Archer Cherry Atractocarpus fitzalanii subsp fitzalanii Brown Gardenia Cyclophyllum multiflorum Marko Myrmecodia beccarii Ant Plant Tarenna dallachiana subsp. dallachiana Tree Ixora Rutaceae Micromelum minutum Santalaceae Exocarpos latifolius Native Cherry Sapindaceae Allophylus cobbe Cupaniopsis anacardioides Tuckeroo Dodonaea lanceolata var. subsessilifolia Ganophyllum falcatum Guioa acutifolia Glossy Tamarind Jagera pseudorhus var. pseudorhus Foambark Sapotaceae Mimusops elengi Pouteria obovata Solanaceae *Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum Sparrmanniaceae Grewia retusifolia *Triumfetta rhomboidea Sterculiaceae Heritiera littoralis Sterculia quadrifida Thymeleaceae Wikstroemia indica Ulmaceae Celtis paniculata Red Coondoo Yellow Boxwood Chinese Burr Looking Glass Mangrove Peanut tree Silky Celtis 6

7 Verbenaceae *Stachytarpheta cayennensis Violaceae Hybanthus enneaspermus Vitaceae Ampelocissus acetosa Snakeweed Native Grape Amaryllidaceae Crinum angustifolium Crinum pedunculatum Proiphys amboinensis Commelinaceae Commelina ensifolia Cyperaceae Cyperus bulbosus Cyperus javanicus Cyperus pedunculatus Cyperus scaber Fimbristylis ferruginea Dioscoreaceae Dioscorea bulbifera Dracaenaceae *Sansevieria trifasciata Flagellariaceae Flagellaria indica FLOWERING PLANTS- MONOCOTYLEDONS Hemerocallidaceae Dianella caerulea var. vannata Orchidaceae Chiloschista phyllorhiza Dendrobium discolor Dockrillia teretifolia Geodorum densiflorum Pandanaceae Pandanus cookii Poaceae Allopteropsis semialata Capillipedium spicigerum *Cenchrus echinatus Cynodon dactylon Eragrostis spartinoides Eriachne pallescens Heteropogon triticeus Imperata cylindrica *Melinis repens *Sporobolus jacquemontii Sporobolus virginicus Whiteochloa airoides Taccaceae Tacca leontopetaloides Swamp Lily Cardwell Lily Sailor's Purse Pineapple Sedge Cheeky Yam Mother-in-laws Tongue Supplejack Blue Flax Lily Golden Orchid Pencil Orchid Pink Shepherd's Crook Cook's Pandan Cockatoo Grass Scented Top Grass Mossman Grass Mangrove Couch Blady Grass Red Natal Grass Saltwater Couch Native Arrowroot 7